An Unlikely Friend
by quietthinker
Summary: Book four in my series. John and Jimmy realize that they are not so different. But will that realization be enough to save the world?
1. Jimmy's Duty

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Cars, girls, school, homework, clubs, friends, chores, jobs. These are things that a normal sixteen year-old boy should be thinking about. But I'm not normal. I never was. But right now I'd give anything to be.

While my friends are out getting wasted I'm in my lab, practicing melee fighting. While they pass notes in math class, I write strategies for saving the world. While they smile at the thought of freedom on the last day of school, I frown at the thought of more time spent training.

Everyone has a purpose in life. Some of us are meant to save lives. Others are meant to take them. And some of us are just background characters, people who won't be remembered for more than a few years after they're gone. But then there's me. I am the one destined to save the world.

It sounds cool at first, but that soon wears off. Do you have any idea what it's like to know that the man who wants to kill you sits behind you in class every day? Constantly worrying that you may pass out in class due to a psychic vision? Or worst of all, fail and have the entire world destroyed? It's not fun. Trust me.

The only thing that keeps me from completely losing it is my girlfriend, Cindy Vortex. We had the classic love-hate thing going on when we were younger. But people grow up, and you get sick of fighting. Plus, I knew that I couldn't do this alone.I needed her help.

I am destined to stop a man named John Duncans from wiping off all humans from the face of the earth. I have no instruction manual, no high-tech weapons, and barely any idea of what is going on around me. All I have is my wits, my girlfriend, and the occasional advice from my future self.

Every morning that I wake up I look out the window and see what I have to save. That baby's life is in my hands. So is that toddler playing hopscotch. And that elderly woman. My friends, my family, even my enemies are counting on me to protect them and they don't even know it. And I can't let them down.I _won't_ let them down.

No matter what the cost, no matter how much I suffer, I will not let fail them. Five years ago a mission was given to me. And I will complete it or die trying. Who am I you ask? Jimmy Neutron.


	2. The Happy Couple

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neuron or any related characters.**

"You're going down, Vortex," Jimmy told the blonde girl standing a few feet away from him.

"I heavily doubt that, Nerdtron," Cindy shot back as she took up a fighting stance.

Jimmy ran forward and jumped towards Cindy. He tried to kick her, but she rolled out of the way. Cindy tried to use that opportunity to hit Jimmy, but he got back to his feet and resumed his stance.

Jimmy dodged the two blows that Cindy sent flying at his face. He smiled as he jumped and spun around in the air, kicking her backwards. Cindy hit the ground and rolled backwards. She did a back flip and landed on her feet.

Jimmy and Cindy closed the gap between them. Both let loose several punches at the other, all of which were blocked. Jimmy grabbed a hold of her wrist and twisted it. Cindy jumped up into the air and rolled in the same direction, sending a kick towards Jimmy's head as she did so.

Jimmy did a backbend as the foot narrowly missed his face. He proceeded to do a backwards somersault, grabbing Cindy's leg with his at the same time. Cindy was surprised and helpless as Jimmy flung her into a wall as he continued moving backwards.

Cindy hit the wall and slid to the ground. The look of concern on Jimmy's face quickly faded as Cindy got back up, this time holding a nunchaku (nunchucks) in her right hand. She grinned as she began spinning it. She moved towards Jimmy and lashed the weapon at his legs, which he dodged by jumping into the air. Cindy swung it at his head, which he managed to avoid by rolling backwards.

Jimmy grabbed a bo (a long wooden staff) off of a rack on his wall and smiled at Cindy. He swung it at her head, which caused her to duck. He then quickly swung it again at her feet, successfully knocking her to the floor. She dropped her nunchaku, which she tried to reach for. Jimmy slammed the end of his bo against the nunchaku's stretched chain. He slid it away from Cindy.

Jimmy put the bo down and helped Cindy up. They both bowed at each other.

"You were amazing!" Cindy told him as they headed to the lounge in his lab.

"You weren't too bad yourself. You're really good with the nunchaku," he told her as he took a seat and turned on the TV.

Cindy grabbed a glass of water and joined him on the couch. "You're amazing with that bo. All of your training is really working. And you learned all of this without a teacher?" Cindy asked incredulously.

"Hey, that's what the internet and instructional videos are for," Jimmy said as he took a sip from Cindy's water.

"John is going to be no match against the two of us," Cindy happily said as she wrapped her arms around Jimmy.

"Yeah, he won't be as lucky as he was last time," Jimmy said as he thought back to the brutal beating John had given him two years before. He fingered the scar on his leg from when he had fallen down the stairs.

"Remember how puny you were back in fifth grade? You had to build those stupid nano-bots to protect you from Butch," she teased him.

"Yeah. Those were the days," he said as he looked off into space, remembering how carefree he had been back then. Now he had the whole world to save.

"So, you up for a movie?" Cindy asked him.

"Yeah, why not. You want to ask the rest of the gang to come? We haven't seen them in days," he lamented.

"Sure, let's just get out of this hot lab and into the air-conditioned movie theater. Why don't you have air-conditioning in here again?" she questioned.

"So sorry. Next time we'll train in your lab," he said sarcastically as he grabbed Cindy's hand and walked out of the lab.


	3. A New Skill

**Author's Note: I realize that I should explain this. Book three's title was _Oops. _This meaning probably isn't too clear. It refers to Cindy realizing that she made a mistake by not believing Jimmy in book two. Ok, now back to the story. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

John jumped out of bed. It was Saturday morning. He walked over to his desk and checked the clock. _5:30! Great, I overslept._ He walked over to his closet and opened it. He pulled out two dumbbells and began working out.

Several hours later John's dad got up and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sighed as he heard the thump of John's weights hitting the floor. _Why does he work so hard? He should be sleeping or out with his friends, not lifting weights. _He started to make his breakfast as he opened the paper.

John was sitting on his bed, meditating, when he heard his dad knocking on the door. _Can I ever have a minute alone?_ he angrily thought. "Yes, come in father."

Mr. Duncans entered his son's room. "Um, you know that thing that you've been asking me to do with you? If you want to, I can take you to do it now," he quietly told his son.

John couldn't help but open his eyes a little in interest. He stared his dad in the face. "Are you serious?" he calmly asked. Mr. Duncans nodded his head. "Alright, I'll be at the in ten minutes. I need to prepare," John said as he hopped off his bed and took some clothes off his dresser.

Twenty minutes later father and son were driving towards their destination. Mr. Duncans cleared his throat before attempting to break the ice. "So, anything new at school?"

"Nope," John said as he continued staring out the window.

"Any ladies catching your eye?" his dad questioned.

John chuckled a little. "Father, I have too much to worry about to be distracted by some stupid _girl_," he reminded his dad yet again.

Mr. Duncans frowned as he continued driving. A few minutes later he parked the car. "Well, we're here," he told his son.

John hopped out of the car and walked over to a man standing behind a counter. "Two GLOCK 22s, please," he asked as his father handed the man some money.

John and his dad walked over to the shooting range. They checked their guns and stared out at the targets.

"So, I guess we just aim and pull the trig-," Mr. Duncans started. He looked to his left and saw that his son was already emptying the fifteen rounds. He looked out about a hundred yards and saw each bullet hit the target. "Wow, you're really good."

John just nodded as he emptied the magazine and popped a new one in. He resumed firing.

Mr. Duncans' smile slowly turned into a frown as John continued firing. He kept hitting the target dead center. _How in the world does he know how to do that?_ he nervously thought as John reloaded again.


	4. They're Not So Different

**Disclaimer: I bet that after reading all of my wonderful stories you wish that I owned Jimmy Neutron, but sadly I don't.**

Jimmy awoke from his sleep in a cold sweat. He took a look around and realized that he was in his room. He had just had another nightmare. _God, I hate those friggin' dreams. _He glanced to his nightstand and checked the clock on top of it. It was just past two in the morning.

He groaned as he got out of bed. He went over to his closet and took out his jacket. He threw it on as he put on his shoes and quietly walked down the stairs. He carefully opened the front door and stepped outside.

He put his hands in his pockets as he started walking. It was one of the rare occasions when the stress of having to save the world was too much. Sometimes he just needed to take a walk to clear his head. He had no idea where he was going.

After ten minutes of walking he looked up. He saw that he was in Retroville Park. He sat down on a bench took a quick look around before burying his head in his hands. He let the tears flow freely since he was alone. A few minutes later he stood up and was about to walk home, but he smelled something. He turned around and saw a small fire burning deep in the woods.

Jimmy went into the woods to check it out. He was shocked to see John sitting by a campfire, smoking a cigarette. He walked a little closer, but John never looked up. Jimmy could see that he was deeply depressed as well. he took a seat on the other side of the fire. They both sat there in silence for a few moments.

"What's bumming you?" John quietly asked as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Jimmy thought a moment before answering. "You wouldn't understand."

John chuckled a little as he threw his cigarette to the ground. He pulled a pack out of his coat pocket. He offered one to Jimmy, but he shook his head. John shrugged and lit another one. He took a deep puff before talking to Jimmy. "I don't think anyone would understand more than me," he solemnly him.

Jimmy pondered that for a moment. "Let's just say it's about my destiny," he sadly said as he ran a hand through his hair.

At the mention of the word _destiny_ John took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked up. He stared Jimmy in the face. Jimmy cringed, expecting a headache to come on. He was surprised when none came.

Jimmy stared John in the face. John nodded his head, signifying that he understood. They stared at each other from across the fire, realizing that they weren't so different.

After another minute passed Jimmy stood up. "I better get back home before someone realizes I'm gone," he said as he started walking away.

"You think you can change your destiny?" John asked as Jimmy walked away.

Jimmy paused and turned around. He thought about that. _Isn't my future self contacting me changing my destiny?_ "Yeah, I think you can," he finally said before returning on his walk home.


	5. A Strange Team

Carl, Sheen, Libby, Jimmy, and Cindy were sitting in the library, trying to kill time before school began. It was Monday morning, the most depressing day of the week. The five friends were having trouble keeping their eyes open. You know how it is. There is something about Mondays that just makes you want to crawl under the sheets and go back to sleep.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I had a very productive weekend," Cindy told them.

"Why, what did you do?" Carl asked.

"I finished Mrs. Simon's book report," Cindy gleefully said as she grabbed Jimmy's hand.

"But that's not due for, like, three weeks! That's practically two months from now!" Sheen shouted. He was the only one who could be somewhat perky on a Monday morning.

"Anyway, we better head off to class," Libby said as she glanced at the clock.

"Yeah, the bell's going to ring in a few minutes," Jimmy said as he got up. He accidentally smashed into John, who happened to be walking by at that exact moment. Jimmy bent down to pick up the book he dropped. "Hey, sorry, uh, oh. Hello, John," Jimmy nervously said. He didn't know exactly know where they stood after what had happened a couple of days ago.

"Just watch where you're going, Neutron," he angrily muttered before continuing on his way. Jimmy and Cindy angrily stared after him.

Twenty minutes later the entire gang, and John, were sitting in their social studies class. They whispered to each other as their teacher took attendance. Everyone suddenly stopped talking as they heard a distant popping sound out in the hall.

"Teachers, please lock all doors and instruct your students to hide. There is someone with a gun in the building," the principal nervously shouted over the intercom.

Everyone in the class quickly started screaming and hiding under their desks, except for Jimmy, Cindy, and John. John and Jimmy stared at each other. John slowly nodded his head, silently agreeing to a temporary truce.

"Will you stop with that and get moving!" Cindy yelled at the two of them as she ran towards the door. Jimmy and John followed suit.

"Kids! Get back here this instant!" their teacher yelled.

"Shut up, we're saving your asses!" John angrily shouted as the three of them ran out into the hallway.

Jimmy and Cindy ran out first. They dashed across the hallway and plastered themselves against another classroom's door. John came out of the classroom next and closed the door behind him. In his hands he held the American flag that had been in their classroom. He also had several students' bottles of water.

The gunshots became louder. John pointed to his right, which was where the gunman would be approaching. Jimmy and Cindy nodded their heads. John tossed Jimmy the flag as he took the caps off of the water. He dumped it down the hallway. John ran over to the puzzled Jimmy and Cindy.

"When I give the signal, Jimmy and you slide down the hallway, stretching the flag out. You'll trip him as he appears in the hallway. I'll run over and grab his gun," John told them as they heard glass shattering in the distance. "You got it?"

Jimmy and Cindy nodded. They stood in the middle of the hallway with several feet between them. They stretched the flag out across the gap. "Now!" they heard John shout. They sprinted forward and slid feet first down the slippery hallway. They held the outstretched flag sever inches above the floor. As the gunman appeared in the entrance to the hallway, Jimmy and Cindy tripped him the flag.

"Alright!" John happily shouted as he also slid down the corridor. He grabbed the gun that the man had dropped when he fell.

John stood up and cocked the gun. He aimed it at the gunman. He was about to pull the trigger.Jimmy saw this and sprang to his feet. He tackled John to the ground, which sent the gun flying across the floor. This time Cindy picked it up and aimed it at the fallen gunman.

"Well, I can see we disagree about the proper way to handle this," John said as Jimmy pinned him to the ground.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jimmy told him.


	6. A Window to the Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Due to the shooting, all of the schools in Retroville were dismissed early. An hour later the entire student body was standing outside the school. All of the kids were hugging their parents and friends, glad to see that their loved ones were ok. Thanks to John, Jimmy, and Cindy, nobody had gotten killed.

"Well, looks like we did good," Cindy commented to Jimmy.

"Yeah, I guess we did," he told her. Just then Carl, Sheen, and Libby came racing over.

"Oh my god, are you guys ok?" she frantically asked as she wrapped her two friends in a hug.

"Yeah, we're fine," Cindy told her.

Libby let go and stared at them. "That's good. Now what the hell were you thinking? You can't just run out into the hallway and fight some insane kid with a gun! You two could have been killed! What's the matter with you?" she ecstatically shouted.

"Whoa, come down Libs," Sheen said as he held her back.

Suddenly everyone's attention turned to the road near the school. The media was busting onto the scene.

"Did you know the shooter?"

"Exactly how did you take down the gunman?"

"What was racing through your mind as you stared death in the face?"

"Come on guys, let's hit the Candy Bar," Jimmy said as the reporters crowded around him.

Due to the shooting, all of the schools in Retroville were dismissed early.

As Jimmy and the gang entered the Candy Bar some people started clapping. Jimmy and Cindy just blushed as they sat down with their friends. They ordered their drinks when Cindy tugged on Jimmy's shirt. "Look at that," she said as she pointed to the counter.

Sitting at the counter was a boy and a girl, about ten or eleven years-old. "I swear, you are the dumbest boy on the face of the earth!" the girl angrily shouted.

"Oh, you're not the top of my favorite persons list either," the boy angrily shot back. Cindy and Jimmy noticed that the kids' friends were rolling their eyes.

"I am so out of here!" the girl yelled as she hopped off her seat and walked out the door.

"Good!" the boy shouted back. He couldn't help but stare after her as she left, though. He turned around and saw that his friends were laughing at him. "Oh shut up!" he angrily yelled before leaving the Candy Bar as well.

"Hey kid!' Jimmy yelled. The boy stopped and turned around. "Just tell her you like her. Trust me, it will be better," he told him as he wrapped his arm around Cindy. The kid just turned back around and angrily walked off.

"Remember when we were like that?" Cindy asked as she started to remember the fifth grade.

"Yeah, those were the days," he said as the whole gang sat in silence, thinking back to simpler times.


	7. A Surprising Rescuer

Later that afternoon Jimmy and Cindy were sitting down on the couch in his lab, talking about their exciting day.

"Man, that was one exciting day," Cindy told Jimmy, summing it all up in one sentence.

"Yep, that doesn't happen every day," Jimmy said as he nodded his head.

"I still can't believe that John helped save all of us. I mean, he's supposed to be the ultimate evil or something, right?" Cindy asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But I bet that he didn't want to die, though. He probably just wanted to save himself," Jimmy said uneasily. _Maybe I should tell her about the meeting in the park._ _Nah, there's no point in that._ Jimmy was still confused by the whole thing. "I'm going to go take a walk," Jimmy said as he got up and grabbed his jacket.

"You want me to come with you?" she asked as she finished her coffee.

Jimmy shook his head. "Uh, not thanks. I just need to be alone, to clear my head. It's been a rough day." Cindy nodded her head in understanding. "You can stay here if you want, I'll be back soon."

"Yeah, ok," she told him as she turned on the TV. She walked Jimmy walk out of the lab. "Hope he's ok," she muttered to herself as she watched the news.

Jimmy looked up and saw that the sun was starting to set. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He started walking down the road, just staring at the ground. _God, what if John isn't the enemy? No, he's got to be. What about those headaches, and that fight we had two years ago? This was just a fluke. Even the worst people do one good deed. Besides, he probably just wanted to save himself. He did tell me and Cindy to slide down the floor towards the gunman. He just stood against that door._

_He took his hand out of his pocket and scratched the back of his neck. But that certainly make my job any easier. He's not John, the pure evil destroyer of the world anymore. He's John, a kid I've stared in the face and helped. He's a person now, not just a faceless enemy._ Jimmy glanced up from the ground and continued walking. He saw that John was also walking across the street. Their eyes briefly connected. Suddenly John's face contorted into a look of surprise. Jimmy shrugged it off and continued walking up the steep road. 

All of a sudden he felt something crash into him. Jimmy looked to his side and saw that John had tackled him. He tried to fight back, but John was using every ounce of his strength to pin him to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off of me!" Jimmy desperately shouted as he continued thrashing about.

"Shut up and look!" John said as he pointed to where Jimmy had been a moment ago. A car with no driver was rolling down the road at quite a speed. It went right by where Jimmy had been just a second ago.

John let go and helped Jimmy up. Jimmy's face held a look of pure shock. "Why, why did you save me?" Jimmy asked, shaking a little from his near-death experience.

John looked just as surprised as Jimmy was. "I, I guess it just wasn't your time," John managed to stutter out. He turned back around and continued walking down the street.

_What the hell is going on here? Why can't anything be clear? Why must everything be a stupid puzzle!_ Jimmy was angrily screaming in his head as he began the long walk back to his home.


	8. The Reason

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Jimmy was in his room, pacing around. "Why, why would he save me?" he asked no one as he continued walking around. He tried sitting down and doing some homework, but he couldn't focus.

"God! Things were tough enough when I knew who the enemy was. Now I don't even know if John's the one I'm supposed to fight!" he said to himself. He lay down on his bed and looked at the ceiling. "Now would be a good time for you to contact me!" he shouted. He waited a couple of minutes but nothing happened. "Stupid future self.

Just then Cindy came bursting into his room. "Remember me?" she angrily shouted.

Jimmy slapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh, that's right. I'm sorry; I forgot I was supposed to meet you in the lab."

Cindy was about to chew him out some more, but she noticed the pained look on Jimmy's face. "Jimmy, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat beside him.

"John saved my life when I was out on that walk," he quietly told her.

"What!" she exclaimed. Jimmy told her what had happened while he was out. "Wow. He really saved your life?'

"Yeah. That doesn't make my job any easier," Jimmy said to her.

They sat in silence for a moment. "Are you sure that John is the enemy here? I mean, he's been doing a lot of nice things lately," Cindy suggested.

Jimmy shook his head. "I know, I thought about that too. But it doesn't make sense. The headaches I get whenever he's around. The gut feeling I have. That huge fight we had last year. That evil air he has around him. The way we always argue."

"You know, we used to argue a lot too," Cindy reminded him.

"Yes, but I heavily doubt that I'm in love with John," Jimmy told Cindy as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck.

"So, basically you have no idea what to do," Cindy told him, summing it up.

Jimmy thought about that for a moment. "Well, have I ever really had any idea of what is going on?"

"It's times like these that I wish you hadn't," he started before clamping his mouth shut.

"You wish I hadn't what?" Cindy angrily asked.

"Wished you hadn't gotten rid of your ponytail. It was so cute, it always made me feel better," he said as he kissed her again. He was glad to see that Cindy believed him. _I wish you hadn't destroyed my only link to the future._

After a few moments of snuggling, Cindy stood up and headed towards the door. "Well, I better get going. I have to make dinner tonight," she told Jimmy as she kissed him on the cheek. 

"Alright, see you tomorrow," he sadly said as he lay back down on his bed. He grabbed the ball that was lying on his floor and started tossing it up in the air. He couldn't help but realize that this was how the whole thing had started. _Five years ago. Has it really been that long?_

As Jimmy caught the ball he suddenly realized something. He jumped off of his bed and ran towards his desk. He grabbed a notebook and quickly scribbled something down. "How could I have been so stupid? What if he wants to me to owe him?" he shouted to himself.


	9. We're Even

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

The next day Jimmy was out walking in the park again. He needed to clear his head from all the John stuff. He looked down at his watch. _8:30, I better start heading home._ He looked up and saw that the sun was just about done setting. He decided that he could use a few more minutes. He sat down on a bench and closed his eyes.

"Look, you owe me money," Jimmy heard someone shouting in the distance. He opened his eyes and saw that John was yelling at some kid a few hundred yards away.

"I, I don't have it with me. I'll get it to you as soon as I can," the kid timidly shot back.

Jimmy got up from the bench and walked a little closer. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. He took a good look at the kid. Jimmy guessed that he was around thirteen.

"Can I please just have some? Just a little?" the kid asked.

John laughed a little. "You've got some nerve, little man. You tell me that you can't pay me for t your last purchase, and now you want some more?"

"I'll, I'll just go then," the kid said as he started walking off.

John reached out and grabbed the teen's arm. "It's not that easy," John told him as he started to punch the kid.

The kid tried to fight back, but he was not match for John. The kid was bleeding pretty badly when Jimmy decided that enough was enough. "John, let him go," he calmly said as he stepped out from behind a tree.

John looked at Jimmy and shoved the kid hard to the ground. The kid wisely took this opportunity to run off. "Unbelievable. Looks like we meet again, Neutron."

"Why don't you just get the hell out of here and mind your own business!" John angrily yelled.

Jimmy was in no mood to fight. The kid had gotten away, that was the important thing. "Fine," he said as he walked off.

"That's right, walk away you little coward. Run home to your stupid mommy and your dumb little girlfriend!"

Jimmy clenched his fists when John mentioned Cindy, but he just kept walking. "Just keep going. Get home to your stupid little whore before your time with her runs out," John sneered.

Jimmy spun around. "Don't you dare bring her into this!" he angrily yelled.

"And don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do! I'm sick of you, Neutron. I saved your pathetic little life. I could have let you get trampled like the pathetic bug you are. But no, I stupidly helped you. And you still can't mind your own damn business!" John angrily yelled.

"Is that your business? Beating up little kids?" Jimmy shot back.

"The little piece of shit owed me money! But you have to play the hero, Neutron. You have to be Mr. Righteous, always in the spotlight. Whether it be inventing some stupid little robot or getting a cat down from a tree, you always have to have the spotlight! You're pathetic!"

"Let's just finish this!" Jimmy shouted as he tackled John to the ground. John just kicked Jimmy off him and stood back up.

"Fine!" he shouted as he swung at Jimmy. Jimmy ducked, but John sent a kick towards Jimmy's crotch. Jimmy moaned in pain as he fell to the ground. He quickly rolled to his side as John wrapped his hands together and swung them down where Jimmy's head had been. Jimmy kick-swept John's feet from under him and jumped back up.

John ran towards Jimmy, but Jimmy spun around and sent a roundhouse kick towards John's face. John tried to duck, but he wasn't fast enough. Jimmy was through playing games. As John stumbled backwards he ran towards him and punched him hard in the face. John tried to hit him back, but Jimmy was in the zone. He blocked the blows and kneed John in the groin. John fell to his knees. He tried to get back up, but Jimmy was already in action. He sent a kick towards John's face, which connected.

As John rolled backwards he grabbed a branch that was lying on the grass. "You're dead, you little shit!" he yelled as he ran towards Jimmy and tried to hit him in the face with the branch. Jimmy just ducked and grabbed the branch. He kicked John in the shin, which made him loosen his grip on the branch. Jimmy gained control of it smacked it hard across John's face.

John staggered to his feet and put a hand to his bleeding head. Jimmy took a few steps back. "You want to play dirty, huh? Then let's play," John angrily said as an evil grin spread across his face. He pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and opened it.

John resumed a fighting stance and slowly moved towards Jimmy. He thrust the knife towards his enemy, but Jimmy dodged it. Jimmy tried to kick the knife out of his hand, but John was expecting this. He moved out of the way and slashed Jimmy's thigh.

"Arghh!" Jimmy groaned as he saw the blood begin to flow through the tear in his jeans. He jumped onto John and grabbed the arm that held the knife. They wrestled for a moment, but Jimmy eventually was able to head butt John. He dropped the knife, which Jimmy quickly picked up. As he pinned John to the ground he held the knife to his throat.

"You wanted to end it," Jimmy said as he put a little more pressure on the knife. A trickle of blood rolled down John's throat.

John sat there, an expression of pure hatred on his face. "You really want to do this, Jimmy? Do you want to spend the next thirty years of your life in jail for murder?"

Jimmy grinned. "There are no witnesses, John. I'm a hero. You pulled the knife out. It's self-defense. There isn't a judge in the world that would send me to jail.

John stared Jimmy in the eyes. "Then do it," he calmly instructed.

Jimmy stared at John's eyes. He realized that he had the perfect opportunity. He could kill his mortal enemy, he could save the world. He wouldn't go to jail, his mission would be over. He wouldn't have to worry about saving the world anymore.

But he knew that it was not supposed to be this simple. There was no way that he had trained for five long years for it to end like this. It didn't feel right. He thought back to the day before, when John had saved him.

Jimmy slowly pushed a button on the switchblade. The blade retracted back into its holder. John started to get up, but Jimmy pushed him back onto the ground. Without looking up, he threw the knife into the nearby stream. Jimmy stared John in the eyes, his face holding more hate than he could ever have imagined. "We're even," he said as he stood up and began walking home.

**Author's Note: And so ends book four. Did you like it? Please hit the button to your left and review. I don't want to have to beg, but I'm afraid that it's come to that. I spend hours writing these stories; please take ten seconds to tell me how you feel about it. It means a lot to me. **

Well, I guess I better get to work on book five. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.


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